Art Rooney II
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Steelers owner Art Rooney II weighed in on the latest Rooney Rule controversy
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offseason has been defined by change to this point. On the coaching staff, Mike Tomlin is no longer in charge, as he resigned from his post and was promptly replaced by Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy. As for the roster, both sides of the ball have welcomed several new faces to town, with the biggest change still potentially set to take place at the quarterback position.
Tomlin’s decision to step down as the team’s head coach certainly caught folks by surprise, and with the latest coaching cycle yielding just one new minority head coach (Robert Saleh of the Tennessee Titans), the controversial Rooney Rule has once again found itself the subject of a serious debate. After Florida’s attorney general openly called for the NFL to suspend the Rooney Rule, Steelers’ owner Art Rooney II weighed in on the controversy.
Art Rooney II Addresses Rooney Rule Situation
Back in 2003, the NFL adopted the Rooney Rule (a rule that was proposed by Rooney’s father and former Steelers’ owner, Dan Rooney), which required NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for openings at the head coach, general manager, and coordinator positions. The goal was to provide minority candidates for these positions with a better shot of being able to move up the ladder and earn these big-time promotions.
In recent years, though, the success of the Rooney Rule has waned. Beyond that, teams have begun to find ways to get around the parameters of the rule, leading to a highly publicized lawsuit from current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, as he believes teams conducted sham interviews for their head coach openings with him in order to fulfill the requirements of the Rooney Rule.
Now, Florida attorney general James Uthmeier has sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claiming that the Rooney Rule is “blatant race and sex discrimination.” The league has revealed that it is reviewing the letter, and when discussing the controversy regarding his late father’s rule, Rooney admitted that Uthmeier’s concerns have to be taken into consideration.
“There’s no question that the environment has changed in recent years,” Rooney said, per Kalyn Kahler of ESPN. “We do have an obligation to make sure that our policies comply with the laws, whatever the law is, and whatever the changes in law might be. We’ve got to look at that and make sure we’re in compliance … That’s just the environment we’re existing in today.”
What Should the NFL Do About the Rooney Rule?
Roger Goodell
GettyNFL commissioner Roger Goodell attends a game in Baltimore.
It’s clear that, at this point in time, the Rooney Rule is not benefiting anybody. Not only are minority candidates not being hired for vacancies across the league, but teams are wasting their time, and the time of these candidates, by conducting interviews just for the sake of fulfilling the Rooney Rule. Now, the league could have real trouble on its hands with Uthmeier’s concerns being made public.
At the very least, the NFL should review the Rooney Rule and see if there are any ways in which they can salvage it. But even if they do, they could still run the risk of facing a full-scale legal situation, which is something the league does not want. Changes could very well be coming for the Rooney Rule, but just how big those changes will be is unknown.